US says Maduro arrest was law enforcement action, not war

Washington, Jan 5 The Trump administration sought to blunt criticism of its Venezuela operation, arguing that the arrest of Nicolás Maduro was a narrowly targeted law-enforcement action rather than the opening of a new war or military occupation.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the suggestion that the United States is now at war with Venezuela. “There’s not a war,” Rubio said, adding that Washington is “at war against drug trafficking organizations — not at war against Venezuela.”

Rubio said the operation was conducted under US legal authority to arrest an indicted narco-trafficker and did not amount to an invasion. “This was not an invasion,” he said on NBC. “This was a law enforcement operation.”

Appearing separately on ABC’s This Week, Rubio said US forces were on the ground only briefly to execute the arrest and then withdrew. He emphasized that the mission relied on court warrants and sanctions enforcement rather than congressional authorization for combat.

Rubio said the administration’s focus has now shifted to sustained pressure through sanctions and maritime enforcement. On CBS’s Face the Nation, he said the United States is enforcing an oil “quarantine” using court orders to seize sanctioned shipments.

“That leverage remains,” Rubio told CBS News, saying the pressure would stay in place until changes occur that serve U.S. interests and benefit Venezuelans.

Rubio pushed back against repeated questions about who is “running” Venezuela. On NBC, he said Washington is not administering the country but shaping outcomes through policy tools.

“What we are running is policy,” he said, referring to efforts to stop drug trafficking, dismantle gangs, and end the presence of foreign militant groups.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz echoed that message on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures. Waltz said the operation was justified under international law and framed as self-defence.

“This is our hemisphere,” Waltz told Fox News. “We are not going to allow it to become a base of operation for adversaries.”

Waltz cited alleged ties between Maduro and China, Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, arguing that decisive action was necessary to protect US security.

Rubio said the administration is not ruling out future steps but stressed that there are no US troops stationed in Venezuela. “We don’t have US forces on the ground,” he told NBC.

Responding to questions on elections and political transition, Rubio urged realism. “These things take time,” he said on CBS. “There’s a process.”

The administration said it would judge Venezuela’s next steps by actions rather than promises, while maintaining pressure until US security concerns are addressed.

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